War declaration by North Korea creates a new global situation

War declaration by North Korea creates a new global situation

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Written by: Arie Egozi, our special correspondent, Europe

 Sources in Europe told i-HLS correspondent that “The war declaration of North Korea on its southern neighbor creates a new global situation, necessitating also European countries to consider their military arrangement in anticipating extreme threats.“ The sources emphasized that such threat, considered as imaginary till recently, is realizing in front of our eyes.

The sources said that South Korea has shown a certain complacence regarding its ongoing tension with its fortified neighbor. “They relied mostly on the United States and, in my opinion, didn’t take enough steps for deterrence and defense”, said one of the sources. He said that at a certain stage South Korea examined purchase of Israeli systems for warning and defense, but ultimately the country remained almost totally dependent on the United States.

As for Europe, the sources said that a similar complacence exists in many of the continent’s countries. “The countries are acting in the frame of mind of participating in peace keeping forces like the one in Afghanistan, and not in a military arrangement necessitating defending home from real threats”, said one of the sources.  He added, that Iran, Syria in certain scenarios, and certainly North Korea are equipped with ballistic missiles and can be a threat on the European continents.

“The European countries agree to deploy American anti-missile missiles in their territories, but none of them considers anti-missile protection as a high priority national task”, said one of the sources.  He mentioned that South Korea has considered in the past purchase of the Iron Dome system from Israel, and at certain time the Arrow missile was undergoing “an initial examination”. The source explained that at the end South Korea remained fully dependent on the United States favors.

Is there a chance for changing this situation? The source said that he estimates that if the tension calms down a little, South Korea will continue its total reliance on American support.